We present our top movie picks this year from Star Wars fan movie “Fanboys” to the story of a celebrated keeper in “Trautmann.”

Top 10: Fanboys

Geek Score: 3.08/5.0

“Fanboys” is a celebration of all things Star Wars, and all things geeky. While the premise of the story is so impossible, that’s what makes it more exciting. And hey, this is Hollywood. The flaw of this film, however, is it’s failure to be critical of the parts that people don’t like about us geeks. To take the other side of the fence and examine itself amid all those funny lines (mostly peppered with 90’s references long forgotten).

Top 9: Nachthelle

Geek Score: 3.47/5.0

The filmmakers could argue that it takes a great deal of thinking to get what they were trying to convey in this movie, but the truth is they just failed to properly convey the very idea of their story. The audience, in general, is not stupid, and if they were confused about the ending of the movie, there’s certainly something wrong with it. But despite all the confusion, there’s depth in this film if only one would dig deeper.

Top 8: Midway

Geek Score: 3.65/5.0

There’s good stuff in this film. The aerial battle was awesome, worthy of a Star Wars scene, like Battle of Scarif level cool. The three waves of attack were shown while identifying the name of each group of attackers. The planes nose-diving at the carriers, the missed attempts of torpedo missiles above and below sea, and the decision of the director and the writers to stick with the military strategy as their main point in driving the narrative, all of these made the film worth watching.

Top 7: The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch

Geek Score: 3.71/5.0

Joel Basman is superb as Motti and he carried the “The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch” throughout its entirety. The hanging ending might be the final attempt of film to make something refreshing out of a familiar theme, but the lack of new perspective or insight was a missed opportunity. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable film worthy of a Sunday night when you just want to chill and relax.

Top 6: 100 Dinge

Geek Score: 3.73/5.0

In tackling a popular issue such as materialism, there’s always a danger to have a film like this to end in a failure, or worst, to get an opposite effect to the message it is trying to deliver. With a nod to classic films combined with an effortless comedy and a different (and refreshing) perspective of the director, “100 Dinge” will definitely make you ask what really is important in life. The message is not always delivered clear, but just like the app NANA, the voice of the film is there.

Top 5: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse

Geek Score: 3.84/5.0

“Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse” is not designed to be just a film catering to fans to get them to watch it (and eventually get their money). It is a film for fans and casual moviegoers, though admittedly, there are scenes that the latter will not be familiar with. There’s a soul in this film and the nod to its original comics story, as well as, the style on which it was animated, celebrates all things the fans love about this superhero.

Top 4: The Dream Children

Geek Score: 3.89/5.0

Top 3: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Geek Score: 4.09/5.0

As with stories adapted from real life, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” is morally inspiring as it is entertaining. It is not too sentimental in a childish sort of way, bringing in a level of honesty in the story. What makes this film stand out from the rest of the stories with child prodigies is its insistence on focusing on the real political and geographical issues in Malawi, not shying away to the problems it is facing. All of this while giving credence to the people who are trying to make a difference in a community plagued with hardships. There’s controversy in the story. Though the middle part somehow dipped, the scenes leading to the climax is as raw and as real as it gets.

Top 2: Yesterday

Geek Score: 4.28/5.0

“Yesterday” will at times surprise you, but if there is a single thing I could agree with, it’s the failed opportunity to explore its premise deeper: imagining a world without The Beatles and its effects to the culture and society in the modern times. The ending of the movie is obvious from the get go but the ride is fun.

Top 1: Trautmann

Geek Score: 4.31/5.0

“Trautmann” might not be like watching a Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo match but I could compare it to watching a match where your home team was down 0-1 on the first half but eventually grabbing that 3 points at the end of the match with a 2-1 victory. That’s what I felt watching this film: there’s frustration with a little bit of sadness, combined with that giddy exhilaration of victory that will make watching it memorable.